Post navigation

Apple to Replace LAUSD iPads if Broken, Stolen or Damaged*

Thanks to LAUSD’s deal with Apple, 30,000 retina display iPads — those are the latest — will land in student hands starting next month in a $400 million deal that will dramatically change how kids learn reading and math. By next August, the district says every LA Unified student will have access to a $678 iPad.

But you know kids. Some will lose their iPads. Some will break them. But Apple has it covered. By terms of the final contract with the district, Apple is providing additional iPads as replacements for those that are lost, stolen or damaged, in contract language — “a pool of spare devices in order to minimize the amount of time a student may be without a device.”

Finalized on July 16, the contract also says Apple will provide every student with a Griffin case and fully loaded Pearson curricula. Apple has agreed to provide the district with “on-site repair or replacement” warranty for the three-year period as well as iPad training products.

Beginning in August, 30,000 students in 47 schools will receive the first wave of iPads. Come January 2014, phase 2 will add 300,000 across the district. The final phase culminates with another 300,000 iPads, for the overall total of 630,000.

The document also includes a detailed description of the Pearson Common Core curricula for grades K-12, which provides courses for 145-150 days.

Pearson’s Common Core System of Courses for Mathematics is made up of nine complete year-long courses. The English Language Arts section includes 13 courses with small-group discussions that will be conducted both in class and electronically.

*Correction: An earlier post said the cost was $30 million. That figure is just for first phase of contract.

Sonja Luchini

If we had any serious public discussion about this, I doubt if this would have ever passed. Many families were against the Bond money use for these purchases. It’s also well known that these products are made at the expense of women’s and children’s health.

How many board members have stock in Apple? Shame on Apple and shame on LAUSD.